Dishumanized is a solo project formed due to some of the inherent turmoil found in establishing a band; heavy line-up rotation and the chaos this creates when trying to build a band and brand at the same time. Harald Berger turned his energy and passion into something he had complete creative license over, something that would allow him to realize his vision Sometimes you just have to take control because constant change dilutes the message you are trying to get across. Having played in many different bands and gathering various influences from all his previous work, Harald has brought together Death and Thrash Metal with NWOBHM, Classic Rock, and more to create a Fusion Metal that is both unique and almost timeless.

Dishumanized

Band Members:

Harald Berger – Vocals/All Instruments

Release Date:

November 18, 2023

Self-Released

Tracklist:

  1. The Maze Of Solitude
  2. Frenetic Lunacy
  3. The Puppeteer
  4. Heirs To The Unrestrained
  5. Circle Of Surveillance           
  6. Indoctrination
  7. The Tale Of The Vitreous Man
  8. Paradoxon Der Neuen Welt

Having read the promo materials and listening to the album several times on loop, there is a lot to dig into here. The Maze Of Solitude is a complex album both lyrically and musically, which is always something I greatly appreciate. From the very start, the title track, “The Maze Of Solitude,” is right in my wheelhouse. The guitar fading in with a lead over the riff, slowly building to the main body of the song is a killer opening.

Lyrically, this album deals with some of the biggest issues humanity deals with on a daily basis; over-saturation with media and religion, mostly because our phones are in our collective faces 24/7. If one news source tells you something you do not want to hear, just turn to one of the 3 million other sources at your fingertips. People used to be able to critically analyze something and see if it made sense; now we blindly trust clickbait that is not even written with clear grammar.

Religion is getting more and more restrictive and less forgiving, in direct contradiction to what the person credited as being the messiah says to do. Priests, pastors, and preachers tell you who to hate, not teach you how to love. Your phone reinforces all of this with algorithms designed to keep you angry and scrolling for hours at a time. There is no bait better than anger and no hook better than fear. The media is fishing for you, and you aren’t even aware you’re caught in the net of lies of conspiracies they weave.

Wrapped around this message is a series of songs that are Thrash Metal angry and Death Metal brutal. Heavy riffs, heavier rhythms, and harsh vocals all work together to build a wall of sound that will crush you under it as it crashes down around you. The blending of the music with the lyrical content is extremely well done. The emotion of the words is reflected in the anger of the music, both of them building upon each other to form a unified force. My favorite thing about this entire project is that I feel everything Dishumanized is railing against. I feel the album as much as I hear it.

MZ Ratings:

Musicianship:

  •             Guitars – 9
  •             Rhythms – 9
  •             Vocals – 9
  • Songwriting – 9
  • Production – 9

Overall – 9.00